Come what may
by Nottodaysatan1
Summary: A moulin rouge twist on Dramione. Everyone expected hermione granger to be with Ron but what happens when the war heroine and the head girl has to spend a lot of time with the head boy and former death eater Draco malfoy? And what will happen when Ron finds out that someone is touching something that he thinks belongs to him? Rated M for language and smut later in the story
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys, this is my Dramione fanfic and I'm basing it off one of my faviroute movies which is moulin rouge and I would just like to say that I do not own and characters they belong to j.k Rowling and the main plot line which belongs to the creators of moulin rouge, so I would just like to say thank you guys if you decided to read my story and I hope you enjoy.

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There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy, they say he wandered very far, very far, over land and sea, a little shy and sad of eye, but very wise was he.

And then one day, a magic day he passed my way.. _I stop mid step when a head of blonde hair passed me and head towards the carriages that will take us up to the castle._

And while he spoke of many things, fools and kings, then he said to me..

 _"The greatest thing." He catches my attention as he steps towards me._

The greatest thing.

 _"You'll ever learn." I sharply inhale when he steps around me so that we're now face to face._

You'll ever learn.

 _"Is just to love." I couldn't help the closing of my eyes when his hand reaches out and his knuckles brush along my cheek._

Is just to love.

 _"And be loved in return." He murmurs in my ear and I couldn't help but let go of the breath that I didn't realise I sa holding, and when I opened my eyes he was gone and I stand there wondering what on earth had just happened._

And be loved in return...


	2. Chapter 2

hey guys, I just started this story so if you're already reading then I apologise if I'm a bit slow with the updates but I'll try and be as quick as I can.

 _Draco's POV_

I have one hand in my pocket while my other hand is gripping the handle of my suitcase tightly as I make my way through the hogwarts express and I try to ignore some of the glares and whispers thrown my way as I head towards the slytherin compartments. When I finally reach it I spot Blaise and Theo sitting down an I quickly make my way to join them.

"I guess by the look on your face you got glared at and whispered about too?"

I look up to Blaise and simply nod and I couldn't help but put my elbows on my knees and rub my face between my hands realising that this year is probably going to be harder than I thought.

"I didn't think that you both would be coming back this year." I say to them and they both shrug in unison. "Even though we had been in a war, we still need to finish our education." We all nod together remembering what had happened during that time and all the friends we had lost.

Blaise clapped and it took me away from my memories and thoughts which I am grateful of. "So do you know who the head boy is those year?"

I smirked and reached into my pocket and pull out the shiny silver badge and smile remembering how happy mother was when I had received it. Theo whistled and Blaise snickered and the object in my hands. "I imagine a lot of people are going to be mad when they find out about this."

I smile again at the badge, because of this badge it feels as if my year is getting better already, I don't care that people will be mad that a former death eater is head boy, what they don't realise is how had I had worked to get head boy, of course I was never able to beat Granger with our studies, I'm still proud that my hard work at school was recognised.

 _Hermione's POV_

As I sat down in an empty compartment on the train I didn't smile, I didn't feel happy, especially since I know that a lot of people won't be able to sit down on this train ever again, or smile happily as their parents waved at them from the platform wishing them luck at school.

I look out the window at the landscape and instantly jump and have my wand at the ready when the compartment door slams open and I try to control my breathing when I see it's only Harry and Ron. I put my hand on my chest to slow down my heart beating rapidly in my chest and glare at them.

"Is it really necessary to slam open doors and give people a fright?"

I put my wand away while still glaring at them and Harry looks at me sheepishly while putting his luggage away. "Sorry 'Mione." I nod and sit back down and shut my eyes tightly when Ron sits down next to me.

When I open my eyes there's a twinkle in Harry's which I always seem to find suspicious.

"So Hermione, do you know who the Head girl is going to be this year?" I couldn't help the grin that's plastered on my face as I exitedly pulled out the shiny silver badge and show it to him.

Harry stood up and hugged me and I hug him back giving him a huge smile. "I knew you'd get it 'Mione, you'll do great."

I smile at Harry as I sit down and I smile at Ron who returns the gesture and he puts his arm around my shoulder and gives me a hug. "Congrats 'Mione." He murmurs in my ear and goes to kiss me but I pull back slightly and turn to face Harry who looks as if he's trying not to laugh at Ron's failed attempt to kiss me.

Yes me and Ron had kissed during the final battle at Hogwarts and I used to have a crush on him but after the whole Lavender ordeal after he knew that I had liked him I had somewhat lost those feelings for him, the kids that had happened at the battle was more of a 'we are probably going to die soon and we won't have a chance to do it again' kind of kiss and ever since then Ron had thought what we were in a realationship and I have been avoiding him at all cost.

I had told Harry about what had happened and how I feel about this situation and now ever failed attempt that Ron makes he has to remove himself from the room incase he laughs out loud.

There have been a few moment though where I had denied Ron a kiss and there was a look in his eye which I admit scares me.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for reading guys and I hope you like the story so far, so keep reading and I hope you'll enjoy it

 _Hermione's POV_

I grab my suitcase that I took on board with me and make my way off the train and wait for Harry, it wasn't until I saw him and Ron make their way towards the front of the large group of people getting on the carriages that I realised that they had ditched me in order to get the best carriage. I sigh and rub my face with my free hand and slowly make my way to the last few carriages left.

I stop mid step when a head of blonde hair passed me and head towards the carriages that will take us up to the castle. Of course I knew who it was but I stand there in wonder as to why he would return.

By by the time I reach them there's only one carriage left which hold someone that I recognised from ravenclaw and Draco Malfoy. I haul my suitcase onto the floor of the carriage and climb in and take a seat text to the Ravenclaw boy.

Half way up to the castle I had noticed a pair of eyes on me and I pull my gaze away from the strange horse like creature pulling the carriage and look over to Malfoy who diverts his gaze to somewhere else and squirms in his seat probably because he got caught staring, I curiously look at him for a moment with a slight smile before pulling a book out from my suitcase and deciding to read for the rest of the trip up to the castle.

I sit down between Harry and Ron at the table and listen to McGonagall's speech and I fix my badge and pick off some invisible fluff from my robes.

"And now I would like to introduce you all to your new Head Boy and Girl, Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger."

There's a mixture between loud applause and silence when they realise that Malfoy was the Head boy and that's when slurs and cuss words were sent his way and they were all silenced by our headmistress.

"I will not tolerate any bullying of sorts towards your Head boy, this is a time of unity for our houses and I would like all sorts of prejudice gone, now as I was going to say, if anyone had any questions about schoolwork or such then do not hesitate to ask your Heads and they will assist you, lastly I would like to see you both before you leave, now please enjoy the feast."

I go to grab some food but my hand stops when Ron starts talkin next to me. " I can't believe that slimy coward of a death eater is back and let alone Head Boy, don't worry 'Mione, if he even looks your way I'll take care of him."

He places his arm protectively around my waist and pulls me close to him and I pull myself and take his arm off of me.

"Excuse me Ronald, but incase you didn't hear properly, McGonagall said that she will not tolerate prejudice of any kind and I would rather and I would rather not have to take away house points before the first day of school even starts."

He he opens his mouth to speak but I hold my hand up, cutting him off. "Not today, please Ron." I sigh and continue eating.

 _Draco's POV_

After everyone had left the Great Hall I make my way over to the new Headmisteress and stand next to Granger.

"Good evening Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger." We both nod and she smiles. " There have been a few changes with your dorm so if you'll both please follow me then I will show you to it and explain a few things on our way there."

We we follow her to the third floor and the whole time she is blabbering about some duties and such and I couldn't help but look at granger out of the corner of my eye. The whole way up she has listened to the Headmisteress eager to know what our duties and such were and I had to hide my smirk, same old Granger. I also couldn't help but notice other things about her.

Like the way her hair had turned into soft curls instead of the birds nest that it had previously been, her skin looked soft to touch and I notice the light dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. I'm pulled out of my thoughts when we stopped at a portrait of a man and woman with a snake around their shoulders and a lion lying at their feet.

"Now the password is sacrifice, if you wish to change it make sure you are both present at the time and both agree on the change otherwise it will not work, I will leave you both to get settled in, and congratulations to you both."

We smile at the Headmisteress and Granger says the password and we walk in and gaze around the large room and I have a feeling that now things are going to change for me big time.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hermione's POV_

I stop for a moment and stare around the large and surprisingly luxurious room. On one side of the room there is a large fire place with a white sofa and two armchairs surrounding it. Next to that there was a decent sized study area with its own miniature library behind it, and on the other side of the room was a small kitchen with a dining table.

I head towards the stairs which leads to a balcony and at each end there's a door, one with a snake and the other with a lion on it. I head Malfoy come up the stairs behind me so I turn around and give him and awkward smile.

"I guess I will see you tomorrow then." He nods and I walk over to my door and open it to find and empty room with my luggage in it and I walk over to find a note that says to imagine the room I want. I close my eyes and imagine a large queen sized bed with crisp white sheets and a white bed side table next to it and a large wardrobe and a dressing table, when I open my eyes it's better than I imagined and I quickly get changed into my pjs and jump into my bed.

i immediately let out a contented sigh as it's just as soft as I thought it would be. _I could get used to this._ i snuggle into bed and drift off into a peaceful sleep.

It had been two weeks into the school term and I happily make my way to D.A and sit down next to Harry and Ron. I copy down the notes on the board as jump slightly as Ron slips something into the pocket of my school robes.

"What are you doing?" I hiss quietly to him and he shrugs and smirks. "Read it then meet me in the library after dinner." He whispers in my ear only loud enough for me to hear and his hand draws circles on my back which makes me tense up and all I could do was nod.

"Do you know why he wants me to meet him in the library?" I ask Harry as we make our way to the courtyard during our free period and he shrugs as we sit down. "I wouldn't have a clue 'Mione, but if it's in the library then maybe he finally realised that his grades suck and needs some help."

I try to hide my shock at the bitterness in his voice. He's been less friendly to Ron since we stayed at the burrow and I had refused to kiss him and he had gotten mad and grabbed both of my arms and threw me into a wall and hadn't realised that Harry had seen the whole ordeal, all I can say after that is Rom had a black eye and Harry seemed smug about it.

"At least he's asking for help instead of just copying my work, speaking of after dinner, are you going to see Ginny?"

He takes off his glasses and starts cleaning them. "Yeah we are going to go for a walk near the black lake and have a little picnic of sorts." A bell rings in the distance which lets us know to change classes so we get back up and make our way to potions.

I get back to my room and read the note that he had slipped into my robe pocket and all it said was dress nice. I roll my eyes and get changed into a snug pair of jeans and a navy blue singlet. I sit down at my dresser and brush my hair and put a little bit of mascara on before grabbing a light grey cardigan and grabbing my book bag and make my way to the library.

When I get there, there is no sign of Ron so I sit down at a table and wait. I hear footsteps come up behind me and when I turn around it wasn't who I expecting.

"Granger, you look nice, is there a special occasion?"

I couldnt help help but to let my eyes roam over Malfoy, I don't think I've ever seen him in casual clothes before that isn't his school robes or a suit, instead today he's wearing a black t-shirt and muggle jeans which I'm surprised at but not as surprised as when I notice that he seems to have bulked up since I last saw him at the battle.

"I'm meeting someone if you must know."

I don't know why but I seem to blush slightly at his gaze and I turn back around and let out a slightly shaky breathe. _It's perfectly fine to be attracted to him hermione, your pretty much friends now and it's alright to notice when someone is attractive._

 _Draco's POV_

I never really hated Granger, the only reason I bullied her was because at the time I thought that muggle borns had dirty blood and was a disgrace to the wizarding world, but as I grew up I came to learn that it wasn't true and I didn't believe in the prejudice bullshit anymore but I was in too deep with Voldemort that I couldn't get myself out of the mess I had made, and now I see her as an amazing witch that had more power than I could ever imagine and she was also very good looking, after the war she had matured in a way that now you could tell she was not a child and now she had grown into a woman that you would not dare to mess with, physically or mentally.

She turns away from me and I move to sit next to her.

"Would you care to tell me who you're meeting? Since we are friends now." I arch an eyebrow at her and smirk and she smiles as she pulls one of her books out and opens it. "Just a friend, since you're being so curious." I smirk again and grab the book out of her hands and hold it away from her.

"Malfoy give it back!" She whispers quietly to me with a hint of a smile on her delicate features, I turn to the book and read the title. "The Danish Girl, interesting read isn't it?"

I hand and it back to her and she looks at me curiously. "It's quiet a sad story though isn't it, I do feel sorry for his wife."

She smiles slightly and for some reason that had made me happy, to know that I had made someone smile for once instead of have them sneer at me.

"I agree, I do feel for her though, imagine how had it would be for her to see someone that she loves slowly dissapear and have them be replaced by someone completely different."

I dont int know how long we sit there and talk but I don't care, we discuss different topics and listen to eachothers opinions, I'm glad that we consider eachother friends but for some reason in the past two weeks I had become comfortable with her, we would sit down on the couch and talk about different things or sit in silence and do our homework or even joke around occasionally, it's much better than thrown snarky comments and being at eachothers throats all the time.

But at this moment it's like I'm seeing her for the first time, yes that sounds cheesy and I don't know why but I seem to be fond of her now, and I couldn't help but smile as she rants passionately about some topic that I stopped paying attention to.

"Hermione." She looks shocked for a moment, probably because I called her by her first name. "Yes?"

I lean in closer to her and I look into her eyes which I notice she has specks of gold in her big brown eyes. I quickly turn on my charm which I hope she _won't_ be able to resist. _It's now or never Draco._

"Do you think it would be alright if I kissed you?" She licks her lips and nods slightly and that was all the confirmation I needed. I lean in closer and ghost my lips over hers and as I go to go to kiss her I am suddenly being pushed into the rows of books as she stand in front of me telling me to keep quiet.


	5. Chapter 5

Hey guys, I hope you're enjoying the story so far. In this chapter Ron will get a little bit physical with Hermione but not in a sexual way so you do thane to worry about that, Draco does admit that he feels something for Hermione so it starts to pick up from there, please review and let me know how it's going.

 _Hermione's POV_

I shove Draco behind one of the bookshelves and try to act calm and stop thinking about the fact that he was about to kiss me and even the fact that we wanted to kiss me.

I take a calming breath and walk over to Ron who is standing next to the table I had been occupying moments before. "Hey Ron."

He turns around and look me up and down with list in his eyes and my smile falters knowing that he is probably going to try something again.

"Hey 'Mione, I'm glad you came." He steps towards me and I step back and grab a book from the table and pretend to find a specific page.

"So what class do you need help with?" I don't look at him as I take a seat at the table and grab my quill out of my bag.

I freeze when he comes up behind me and breathes in my ear which makes my skin crawl but I stay calm and collected. "What makes you think I asked you to meet me here to study?"

I close the book and take a moment before I answer. "Oh, was that not the reason you wanted to meet me in the library? Normally this is a place where people go to study."

He moves away from me and I can breathe a little bit easier. I carefully watch him as he picks up a book and pretends to look at it for a moment.

"Its a quiet place and hardly anyone actually comes here to study." He lets the book drop with a thud onto the table which makes me jump slightly. "So I thought it would be a good place to get to know one another a bit better."

He he smiles at me and I've seen that smile before and it makes me a bit uneasy. "Well I'm sorry to disappoint you Ron but that won't be happening, especially in a library of all places, now if you'll excuse me I'll be heading back to my dorm." I give him a look that says no means no and he nods.

I start to pack up my things when suddenly my head was slammed onto the table and I bite bate a scream as my head collides with the table harshly making me dizzy for a moment and I hold back tears as he holds my head there and leans in close.

"One day you will see that you belong to me and you won't deny me what is mine, but I'll let you play hard to get for the moment, do you understand you little-"

My head is pounding but I'm grateful as Malfoy makes his way over here with a bored expression on his face but I look into his eyes and see the anger that's hidden behind the mask he had put on.

"Oh, there you are Granger, I had been looking for you everywhere." He looks between me and Ron. "What happens here?"

Before i I could say something Ron hands me my bag and pats my head roughly which makes me hold back more tears as my head is already pounding painfully.

"Nothing that concerns you death eater, but if you must know, Hermione here seemed to have fallen asleep and I thought I would wake her up." Malfoy nods and Ron walks away but not before he throwing me a glare and a smirk.

 _Draco's POV_

I had enough, I had been watching what was going on between Hermione and the Weasel and after he slammed her head onto the table I had to stop myself from going over there and beating the shit out of him.

Instead I walked over to them calmly as if I had been looking for her. When the red head left I quickly knelt down in from of her and was checking what damage he had done and I had to calm myself when I see a large angry lump forming.

I grab ran her face gently in my hands and look into her tear filled eyes. "Are you alright?"

She he didn't say anything. Instead she pushed passed me and I followed her up to our dorm and before I could stop her she slammed her bedroom door behind her.

i pick up a throw pillow and throw it across a room and sigh as it knocks over a few glasses and I make my way over to the broken glass and pick it up while thinking that I need to have a little talk with scarhead.

The next day I wait for Potter to be separated from his sidekick and make my way over to him.

"Potter I need to talk to you." I grab his arm and drag him into an empty classroom and lock the door and cast a silencing charm.

"Malfoy, let me go!" I let go and turn on him and get right in his face. "You need to keep your _mutt_ on a leash."

He looks at me confused for a moment and I have to stop myself from slapping some sense into him.

"I'm talking about how the Weasel beats Granger around like a fly." His face hardens within seconds and he makes a run for the door but I hold him back.

"I don't think it would be so wise to confront him about it." He pulls away and I watch him in mild amusement as he paces around the room and pulling his hair trying to calm himself.

"And why the hell not!" He snaps and I scoff at him. "Because if you did that then he would think that she ran off and told you what had happened."

He eyes me curiously for a moment. "Since when do you care about Hermione?" I shrug and mumble that it's not important.

im not exactly going to tell potter that I have a soft spot for granger and that she's wiggle her way in enough for me to care about her a lot and dear god did I want to kiss her last night.

I snap out of my thoughts and step closer to Potter. "Just make sure he doesn't go near Hermione alone."

He nods and in the moment we seems to have a mutual respect for one another. I unlock the door and make my way to Arithmacy.


	6. Chapter 6

Hey guys, I just read over my story and realise there are a few spelling mistakes and I apologise and it turns out that autocorrect is not being my friend but I'll try and fix it up. Thanks for still reading, and please leave a review on how it's going and if you like it

 _Hermione's POV_

I feel bad about skipping class today and I probably shouldn't but I needed a day to myself, I needed time to think things over.

I sigh and get out of bed, I need to do something otherwise I'll go mental just sitting in bed all day. I grab a towel and make my way into the joining bathroom between mine and Malfoys room and lock both doors. I don't want him coming back early and walking in on me stark naked.

I walk to the large bath which is smaller and more intimate but just as beautiful as the one in the prefects bathroom and turn on the taps.

While I wait for it to fill up I throw in some magic bath salts that instantly relax you with the smell and it will feel like you're getting a massage when your in there.

I move over over to the mirror and get undressed and pull my hair away from my face and cringe at my reflection.

I see that the large bump isn't as swollen but still noticeable and it has started bruising, turning a dark purple and blue, I run my hand over it softly and hiss at the contact.

When the bath is full I turn off the taps and slowly sink into the bath and moan at the feeling of the hot water and the magic bath salts working at my tense muscles.

I start to think about what Ron had said to me last night and start to agree with him. I may not like him more than a friend at the moment but he's still nice to me and he seems to want to be in a relationship.

Okay, yes he had gotten a bit rough with me a couple of times but maybe it's just his way of coping after the war, we all take out our frustrations and sadness in different ways and maybe that's his way.

Everyone expects us to be together anyway, especially since everyone found out I was pinning after him despite him suddenly becoming infatuated with Lavender Brown. I guess I could try again and see if those feelings I once had will return. He probably needs me to help him get through this dark time he's going through.

I sigh and sink down into the water and stay there for a moment letting it surround me before I come up for air.

 _Draco's POV_

I walk into the dorm after class and throw my bag down onto the ground and sit on the sofa, I stretch my legs out and flick my wand so the small wireless radio turns on and starts playing music.

After the war ended I had decided to delve into some of the muggle culture and I had quiet enjoyed the sound of their music. I rub my hands over my face and sighed when I hear a door open and close from upstairs and I sit up.

When I see her coming down the stairs I hand to remind myself to keep breathing. She's wearing a light blue fitted sundress and white flats and her soft hair was draped over one shoulder and she had a tiny bit of makeup on which flattered her big brown eyes.

"You look lovely." I swallow hard when I notice a slight blush finger her cheeks.

She looks surprised for a moment before walking over to the radio and turning it up for a moment.

"Your song by Sir Elton John." She turns to me with a smile on her face.

"I didn't realise you listened to muggle music." I smile and stand up and walk towards her. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me." I turn the music up and hold my hand out while smiling down at her.

"I don't know, I don't really dance." She looks around slightly nervous. I grab her hand gently and pull her to me.

"Just one dance is all I ask for, besides I've been out of practice since the Yule Ball and mother would be disappointed if all those lessons go to waste." I give her a wide grin and she lets out a small laugh and nods.

"One dance, and no funny business." She looks at me with a twinkle in her eye and I pull her closer to me and twirl her around the room.

I hum along with the song and when it ends and dip her low and look her in the eyes when I mumble the last few words of the song to her.

"How wonderful life is, now your in the world." She laughs and I couldn't help the smile on my face.

I pull her back up but I don't let her out of my arms. I slowly lift up my hand and brush the back of my hand along her cheek and pull her hair back to grasp the back of her neck. When I lean in to kiss her something catches my eye and I pull back and she looks nervous as I push her hair back more to reveal a large purple bruise forming.

"I was going to put a glamour charm on before I left but I must have forgotten." She steps around me and moves towards a small mirror in the room and casts a quick charm to hide it and then she fixes her hair back to cover it just in case.

She goes towards the door and stops for a moment and turns around to look at me. "Thank you Draco, for the dance." She smiles slightly before quietly closing the portrait behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hermione's POV_

Bedore I meet Ron at the Room of Requirment I detour to the astronomy tower where I knew Harry would be.

Once I reach the top of the stairs I see him standing where Dumbledore had falling and I push away my emotions and slowly make my way towards him.

I stand next to him and lean on the rail and look out to the darkening sky. "He's watching over you Harry, they all are." I put my hand on his arm and he takes off his glasses to wipe at his face.

"Yeah I know, I just still feel like- don't worry about it." He mumbles and looks over to me. "You're looking very dressed up tonight." I look back out at the sky and shrug.

"Ron asked me if we could have dinner in the room of Requirment to talk things over." I can tell he's doubting the reason Ron asked me to have dinner. "Hermione."

I sigh and and run my hand through my hair and wince as I accidentally brush against the bruise but thankfully he didn't notice. "Yeah I know. But I could at least hear what he has to say, give him a chance to explain, it's the least I could do."

I turn urn to leave but he grabs my arm and pulls me into a hug which I return. "Just be careful 'Mione, you're like a sister to me and I don't want you to get hurt." I squeeze him fondly and leave the tower.

I get to the room and see Ron standing there in a nice enough outfit waiting for me. I walk up to him and he puts an arm around my waist and kisses my check before escorting me into the room.

I walk in and stand there in surprise as a nice cosy room stands before me with a large fire place and a small dining table with a few candles and a hot meal sitting on it.

He pulls the chair out for me and I smile slightly as I sit down and wait for him to sit opposit me. "This is lovely Ron." He nods and takes a sip of what seems like firewiskey.

"I did this for you, a nice candle lit dinner would be a nice place for us to talk don't you agree?" I nod and take a sip of water, deciding to avoid the wine that seem to have presented itself on the table.

"So what would you like to talk about?" I ask him and he crosses his arms at his chest and leans back into the chair.

"I would like to talk about us." He smirks and I sip at my water again and nod.

"Well at the moment there is no us." I say and he starts to look angry but I quickly save the moment. "At the moment anyway, that's also why I agreed to come here tonight is so that we could sort everything out." He smiles and leans forward.

"Okay, I'll keep it short then." He cleares his throat and looks me in the eyes which is quite intimidating.

"Ever since that kiss, I have wanted you to be with me, I know that I had messed that chance of us up a few years ago but I would like to try again." I nod in understanding.

"I would like that Ron, but I don't want to jump into a relationship, I'd like it if we were to go slow, like the occasional date her and there, and no kissing till I'm ready." I give him a sharp look and he smirks but agrees.

"I was going to stay for dinner but I realise that I had forgotten that I have two essays due tomorrow so I should probably go do that." I stand up and he's next to me in seconds and I tense up.

"You'll be mine, I can promise you that 'Mione." He roughly kisses the side of my head and I make my way out and start thinking about what the fuck I just agreed to.

 _Draco's POV_

"Granger!" I yell out without looking up from the note that was left on my study desk.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She comes running down the stairs with her wand out and looking frantically around.

"You can put your wand away." I hand her the note and she instantly calms down but tenses up again. "Why does McGonagal want to see us in her office?" I shrug but pull her along anyway before she starts freaking out and having irrational thoughts.

"Beats me but we better not keep her waiting, just in case it is important."

We we step into her office and she claps happily and signals for us to take a seat and when we do we wait a few moments while she finishes signing some documents and looks at us.

"I wanted to talk to the both of you about another Yule Ball." I refrain from rolling my eyes but I notice Granger light up immediately at the mention of another ball.

"I will let you both and a team of your choice to organise it, of course still coming back and reporting to me the descisions you made. But you will essentially control the whole thing and I would like everything planned and ready to go so we can have it in a months time."

She he smiles down at us and I see Hermione go from excited to anxious writhing seconds. "But that's barely any time at all to properly organise a ball and do everything in time."

She just continues to smile and Hermione looks like she's about to have a panic attack. With a sudden change of mood she grabs my hand pulling me towards the door. "We better get started now then, thank you Headmisteress!" She quickly yells out as she slams the door behind us.

We go to run back to our common room when she runs into Potter, I couldn't help but listen in to their conversation.

"Hey 'Mione, Ron said that if I saw you that I should ask you if you wanted to have dinner again with him tomorrow night." She looks back to me for a second before looking back to Potter.

"Can you tell him that I would like that but me and Malfoy had to plan another Yule ball and we only have a month so I'll be busy but tell him another time." He nods and give her a quick hug before dissapear img and she grabs my hand as we run the rest of the way back to our room.


	8. Chapter 8

_Hermione's POV_

I hold my sides and try to stop myself from laughing even more as my stomach starts to become painful. I can't remember why me and Draco were laughing but I do know that I haven't laughed this hard in a long time and it feels good.

"Okay but really now, we need to keep working other wise we'll get into trouble." I manage to calm myself down enough to act normal as Madam Pince walks past us waiting for a moment to tell us to keep quiet.

I look over to Draco and shake my head as I can't help but let out a giggle. I go silent when he moves his chair a little closer to mine and his arm brushes against mine for a moment and I can't help the blush that appears on my cheeks.

"So do we have a theme yet?" He murmurs and when I look at him he's looking down at me with a slight smile on his lips.

"Ice." I say with a nervous shake to my voice. He nods without taking his eyes off mine, I stop breathing when he goes to lean in to kiss me and suddenly a voice interrupts us and he leans straight over to pick up a piece of paper as an excuse to being so close to me.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" I turn around and see Ron and I groan inwardly, I don't have time to deal with him at the moment but I excuse myself and walk over to him. He grips my arm firmly and pulls me into the many bookshelves before trapping me between one with his body.

"Why have you been ignoring me and not showing up for dinner?" He leans in closer and I lean back.

"If you must know, I'm Head Girl and I'm a lot more busy than I used to be especially with the ball coming up and I haven't had time." I look up to him warmly and he doesn't move, he just stares at me.

"Are you with someone else?" He seems calm on the outside but unfortunately the reddening of his face is giving him away that he's angry.

"Excuse me?" He's slowly starting to lose his calm facade but stays still for a moment before he grabs my hair and pulls my head back painfully.

"I asked if you are with something else?" He grips my hip painfully squeezing it that I have to hold back a Yelp.

"No I'm not seeing anyone else." He searches my eyes for any type of lie before roughly pulling on my hair once before letting it go.

"Good." He steps away from me and suddenly stops. "Oh one more thing Hermione." He turn back around. "For your sake I hope your not lying because if I find out that you are, your going to regret not dying in the war." He leans over and kisses my forehead and walks away.

i sink to the ground and try to control my breathing as I gently massage the back of my head trying to tell myself that he's just trying to deal with what had happened and that he'll be fine soon all while I try to keep my tears from spilling over.

I make my way back to the table where Draco sat after calming myself down and when he asks if I'm okay I just nod and smile at him while we continue working until madam Pince kicks us out of the library so we go back to our common room to finish last minute details.

 _Draco's POV_

We sit on the sofa tiredly and discuss some of the arrangements.

"Okay so the theme is ice, girls can decide to wear either white, ice blue or black and the guys can decide on a white or black suit." I tick that off the list and continue listening to Hermione as see goes through the list tiredly.

"There should be a thin layer of smoke on the ground of the hall, the same smoke that dry ice has. And finally the hall with my decorated similar to the ball we had during the tri wizard tournament just take away the snow and add ice and crystal like decorations to seem like we're in a crystal cave." I nod and tick that off.

i feel her head gently rest on my shoulder as she yawns and I try to hide my smile as she lazily looks up at me through her dark lashes.

"Come on, I'll walk you upto your room and then I'll clean this mess up." I move to stand up but her small hand on my arm stops me.

"Just stay here, too tired and comfy to move." I nod and move on the couch so that we are both lying down and I wrap my arm around her shoulde and she lets out a sleepy sigh.

"Hermione?" I whisper to her but she doesn't move.

"Yes?" She mumbles quietly. I hold my breath for a moment. _Come on Draco, don't be a pussy._

"I was wondering if, if you had a date to the ball yet?" I close my eyes and wait for her answer.

"Not that I know of, why do you ask?" She mumbles again quietly and I look up to the roof and decide to get it over with.

"Would-you-like-to-go-to-the-ball-with-me?" I let out a breath and roll my eyes at how pathetic I had sounded.

She nods and I feel myself grin as she leans up and looks at me.

"You're going to be bad for business, I can tell." I lean up slightly and finally let my lips trail over hers.

I know that we aren't supposed to do this, I remember when McGonagal had said that there will be no fraternising of any kind but I push her words into the back of my mind as the feeling of her soft lips kissing me back makes me feel light headed.


	9. Chapter 9

Hey guys, hope your liking it so far. Please review and let me know if you like the story and how it's going so far, keep reading and hope you enjoy.

 _Harry's POV_

I sit next to Ron in the library and try to help him with his homework which is proving to be very difficult since he keeps looking over to Hermione and Malfoy at the other end of the room.

"Ron this is due tomorrow and if you want to get good marks then you'll have to-" I sigh and he cuts me off and I try not to roll my eyes.

"Do you think she got herself a date to the ball?" I give up and close my potions book.

"She has to go with Malfoy." I hold my hand up when his face gets red and he looks like he's about to yell.

"Apparently McGonagal said that they should go together to support inner house unity or something."

He he slams his hands down and starts walking out of the library so I pack my stuff up and follow him back to the Griffindor tower as I remember the conversation me and Hermione had yesterday.

 _"Harry, I need to tell you something." I look over to her and smile as we make our way to D.A._

 _"Malfoy asked me to the ball and I said yes." I notice her cringe slightly and I stop walking and rub my hands over my face._

 _"Please don't hate me." I look up and see her biting her lip to try and control her emotions and I step forward to hug her._

 _"I could never hate you 'Mione, it's just, what are you going to do about Ron? He's going to be furious when he finds out." She looks around quickly._

 _"I know, that's why I was thinking you could tell him that we have to go together because McGonagal asked us to. Technically you wouldn't be lying because she did suggest that we go together." We stand in the corridor quietly for a moment._

 _"If I have to, just be careful Hermione, you don't want to play with fire and I feel like there's going to be a whole forest burning soon." She nods smiling before jumping on me and I laugh as I hug her back._

Ron slams the door shut when we reach our room and I sit down on my bed taking off my tie.

"There is no way she is going with that slimed death eater ferret!" He paces around the room as he gets angrier and angrier.

"Mate, she has no choice, McGonagal told them they have to go together and I'm sure she'd much rather go with you anyway."

"We need to go talk to her then, and tell her that she can't possibly let my 'Mione dance with that monster!"

"You're going to have to let it go mate." He grabs the collar of my shirt and looks at me angrily.

"I need you to do whatever it take to get her to go with me, I will not have anyone else dancing with her." I pull his hands off of me and stand up.

"Sounds like you're getting jealous and besides what could I possibly do about it?" He stops for a moment and I watch as he shakes angrily.

"It's not that I'm jealous Harry, I JUST DONT LIKE OTHER PEOPLE TOUCHING MY THINGS!" He picks up a glass and throws it and I flinch as it shatters against the wall.

I look him in the eyes and notice the pure rage lurking in them and I nod sadly knowing that Hermione won't forgive me.

"I understand completely." I open the door and close it harshly behind me.

 _Hermione's POV_

Draco pulls me trough the empty corridor and into a hidden alcove where no one could see us and he gently pushes me up against the wall and starts to kiss along my jaw and to my mouth.

I push him away slightly and laugh before quickly looking around to make sure no one could see us.

He pulls me back to him and I kiss him back gently as he picks me up and I wrap my legs around his hips.

"You are so beautiful." He says between soft kisses that he places on my neck and I can't help but smile.

"We have to get back and finish working on the decorations list for McGonagal." He runs his hands up my waist which makes me laugh as it tickles.

"The old bat can wait a few more minutes." I laugh as he wraps his arms around me tightly and sets me back down on the ground.

"I left my bag at the library so I'll quickly go back and get it so I'll meet you up there soon." I kiss him and when I go to walk away he grabs me and pulls me back to him to place a sit kiss on the back of my neck.

I laugh as he walks away with a smug smirk on my face and when I turn around I bump straight into Harry.

"Oh Harry, you gave me a fright." I smile and he stops me when I go to step around him.

"What are you doing?" I look at him funny and shrug.

"I don't know what you mean." I go to step around him again and he stops me.

"Hermione, you know you shouldn't be with him, you know what would happen if Ron found out you were dallying with Malfoy." My eyes snapped up to his when I realise he must have seen us.

"It's nothing, we were just joking around."

"Hermione, I saw you both kissing!" He snaps and I take a step back and shake my head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell, but you have to understand that if Ron finds out I don't know what he would do and that makes me worried." He takes my hands and I can tell he is sorry and I know what he's trying to say.

"Don't worry, it's just a silly infatuation." I nervously laugh and he looks at me worriedly.

"Everything will be fine." I look at him and he nods tiredly and hugs me before walking away.

i sigh and start to make my way to the library when I suddenly feel a very sharp burning sensation in my chest which makes me stop and gasp for air.

i take a moment to get my breath back and when I start walking again the pain hits me like a truck, knocking me off of my feet and I try to gasp for air as the pain just gets worse. My vision starts going blurry and I faintly hear screaming and as I slowly slip unconscious I realise that the screams are coming from me.


	10. Chapter 10

_Harry's POV_

I turn back around when I hear Hermione scream and drop my bag and run to her.

I find her lying on the ground passed out but breathing heavily and her body convulsing, I move her hair out of her face and notice a trickle of blood on the corner of her mouth and coming from her nose.

I pick her up and run as fast as I can to the infirmary where I call out for madam Pomfrey and she looks over and scans the situation before ushering me over to one of the beds where I place her down gently.

"What happened?" I almost missed her question when Hermione coughed and more blood splattered onto her chin.

"I-I don't know, I heard her scream and saw that she had collapsed onto the ground and she was having some type of fit." Pomfrey pushes me out of the way and does a few diagnostic spells to see what was wrong.

"Has she had any dark spells used on her recently?" I try and think but the only time I can think of was back at Malfoy manor.

"During the war, she was tourtered during the war." I rub my hands over my face when she starts to convulse again and Pomfrey struggles to hold her still.

"Do you know what curse!" She yells at me and I shake my head.

"Cruciatus curse I think, I don't know if there was any more." She tells me to go get McGonagal while she does a few more tests and I run out of the infirmary.

"Mr Potter, its past curfew what are you doing wandering about?" I stop in front of her desk and she instantly starts to make her way to the infirmary as I follow close behind her.

I sit quietly next to Hermione while they talk about her condition.

"I don't think I've seen anything like this Minerva, I think we should call a healer in." I grab onto her hand and hope she wakes up soon.

"I'll owl them immediately, what did you find?"

"The poor girl seemed to have been under the crucio curse for a severe length of time and repeatedly by someone who was extremely powerful." I move her hair out of her face and see that she seems to be sleeping peacefully.

"I don't think it was seen to properly after the war, it's seemed to have manifested and effected her lungs and heart, they're practically wasting away slowly." I can't hear them any more once they go into the office.

A few minutes later she comes back out and makes her way over to me.

"Potter, I'd like to have a few words with you." I nod and stand up, walking with her back to her office.

"Miss Granger seems to have had many long exposures to the Cruciatus curse and I need to know if she went to the healer after the war to get that seen to." I shake my head and she sighs.

"I've owled a healer and she will be here soon to treat her. Miss Granger can't know about this, not yet at least." I stop for a moment and look at her.

"Know what headmistress?" She sits down and looks at me sadly.

"Because it was not seen to, Miss Grangers heart and lungs are wasting away to put it simply."

I sit in silence for a moment. "What does that mean? Will she be okay?" She smiles shakily

"I hope so Potter, I hope so."


	11. Chapter 11

Hey guys, im sorry that i haven't updated you in a very long time and left you hanging like that, i'll try and update whenever i can but i just found out that i'll be doing a certificate in hairdressing so i may not be able to update regularly but i'll try my best i promise.

 _Hermione's POV_

I open my eyes and instantly groan as I try to sit up and someone pushes me back down gently. I look over to see Harry staring down at me with worry written all over his features.

"Madam Pomfrey! She's awake, quick, hurry!" I look around confused, realizing I'm in the hospital wing i try to sit up and this time it's Madame Pomfrey pushing me back down onto the bed.

"What is going on?" I look up at Pomfrey as she looks at me confused. "Do you remember anything that happened last night?" I look between Madam Pomfrey and Harry. "No, why? What happened last night?" I look at them both once more and they share a look and shake their heads.

"Nothing dear, Mr Potter saw you faint last night, you must have knocked your head pretty good if you don't remember, don't worry though you're fine, we just wanted to keep you here over night to make sure nothing more serious was going on." She smiles at me and I instantly feel a lot calmer.

"Does this mean I can leave? I don't want to miss any classes, what kind of role model would I be if people found out i don't go to them?" I laugh to myself and try to sit up once more, this time no one stops me but there's a shooting pain up my back which causes me to hiss.

"'Mione are you alright? What's wrong?" I push Harry away before he smothers me, I shake my head and continue getting out of bed.

"I'm fine, I must have landed awkwardly when I fainted last night, I'll be alright to go to class." I successfully get out of the bed and rub the back of my neck to get rid of the knot that I feel forming.

"Not with all those books you carry around all the time, you're having a day off to relax and not hurt yourself anymore than you already have." I go to object but Madam Pomfrey beats me to it.

"You should listen to Potter, Miss Granger. It seems you've had quite the fall last night and the best action would be to take the day off to rest. I'll inform the headmistress and she will let your teachers know the reason for your absence." I pout but nod my head and allow Harry to walk my sulking self to my dorm to make sure I don't faint again.

"You know it's strange that I don't remember fainting, I feel completely fine and I felt fine last night from what I can remember." I mutter the password to my dorm and let Harry in and we sit down on the couch.

"I don't know, maybe you've been working to hard, with being head girl and organizing the ball as well as normal school work, you've probably been putting a lot of stress on yourself without even realizing it." He smiles at me sadly and I lean my head on his shoulder.

"What would I ever do with out you Harry?" I sigh in content and all he says is "Dido."

 _Draco's POV_

I rush towards the heads dorm hoping that Hermione's there when I bump into someone and I'm about to curse at them when i realize that it's Potter and relief floods me.

"Thank god, do you know where Granger is?" He looks towards the heads dorm and I nod and go to walk when his hand pulls on my arm.

"You should probably let her rest for a bit, she fainted last night and hurt her back so Pomfrey wants her to rest as much as she can today." I turn around to him worried. "Is she okay? What happened"

He nods awkwardly. "Yeah she'll be fine, just a lot of stress so make sure she takes it easy." I didn't miss the sad look in his eyes as he asks me to take care of her as i make my way to the common room.

"Hey, are you alright? Potter just said that you fainted last night." I walk around to the front of the couch and notice that she's fallen asleep.

I gently tuck a few stands of hair that had fallen over her face behind her ear and summon a blanket to gently place over her before quietly grabbing my bag and heading to potions early to let her rest peacefully.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Harry's POV_**

"Hey, have you seen Hermione anywhere? We planned to talk about what we're going to wear to the ball today at lunch and I haven't seen her." I hug Ginny and she awkwardly hugs me back before placing her hands on my arms and pushes me back slightly to look at my face. "Harry what's wrong?"

"It's nothing Gin, Hermione fainted last night and I took her to Madam Pomfrey. She scared me a bit but she's over working herself and her body couldn't handle it." I notice the frantic look in her eyes but I calm her down. "Don't worry she's fine, she just needed the day to rest but she should be here for dinner." Ginny lets out a breath of air and laces her fingers through mine.

"Anyway, we still on for date night in the room of requirement?" She smiles up to me and leans up to kiss my cheek and adjust my glasses. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

 ** _Hermione's POV_**

Shit. I feel like absolute shit when I finally wake up. I hear the faint noise of a spoon clinking on the side of a cup before smelling the sweet scent of coffee. I rub my eyes and turn around and I see Draco sitting at the table in the small kitchenette doing homework and stirring his drink.

I take a moment to wake up before making my way over to make myself a cup of coffee. "Hey you're up, how are you feeling?" I put the kettle on and turn around and lean on the counter. "Still tired but I feel better, what time is it?" I wipe my face with my hands once more to try and wake myself up and internally groan once I realise that it doesn't work.

"Nine Fifteen I believe." I look over to the clock and I feel my eyebrows disappear into my hairline. "Have I slept all day? How did that happen? Why did you let that happen? I'm going to be so far behind with my school work!" I feel him gently grab my wrist as I go to walk past him.

"Don't worry I wrote down plenty of notes for you and Potter did the same for the classes that we don't share." He hands me a small pile of parchments and I take them from him with a smile on my face. "Thank you Draco, I really appreciate it."

"Me and Potter know how you are and it wasn't until he came to the door after dinner that i found out that he took notes too so it's like you never even missed class." He smiles at me and I can feel my cheeks get warm.

"I'm going to go shower and when i come back we can finish working on the plans for the ball since we're behind on that." I forget about my coffee as i open the door to my room and find some comfortable pajamas and decide to just settle on grey sweat pants and white singlet before making my way into the bathroom and locking the door behind me.

I turn the shower on and make sure the water is nice and warm before getting undressed. As i turn around to go into the shower something catches my eye in the mirror. I take a step closer and look over my shoulder so I'm looking at my back through the mirror and notice a large black bruise covering the right side of the back of my ribs.

I go to touch it but decide against it, if it's as bad as it looks then i don't want to hurt myself by poking at it. I'll go see Madam Pomfrey about it tomorrow but for the moment, this shower is calling me.

As soon as the warm water hits my skin i groan in pleasure as it massages into my back. I grab my shampoo and go to squeeze some into my hand when it suddenly feels like i can't breathe. All i hear is the shampoo bottle fall onto the floor as i struggle for air before i start coughing. Pain shoots through my chest as i put my hands on the wall until the coughing and pain subsides, when i can finally breathe normally again i look down at the floor tiles of the shower and notice a small pool of blood going down the drain.

I slowly raise my hand up to wipe my mouth and see a small amount of blood left on my hand and feel the tears spring to my eyes as i start scrubbing at my hand and my body to remove any blood when someone knocks on the bathroom door and i hear Draco's voice echo in.

"Hermione are you okay in there?" I quickly wash my hair and turn the shower off. "Y-yeah, I accidentally inhaled some water." I hear his footsteps walk away from the door. I get out of the shower and wrap myself in a towel as I walk towards the mirror, i wipe away the steam from it and look at myself for a few minutes. "You're fine Hermione, everything is fine."


	13. Chapter 13

Hey everyone! I know I haven't uploaded anything since the start of the year and I am so sorry about leaving everyone hanging! I've been really busy with my course and I also had no computer to upload the story and when I did I would have writers block, but I have just re read the story and I am able to continue again! so sit back and relax and I hope you all enjoy it!

 _ **Draco's POV**_

I sit back on the couch and look through our notes for the ball while I wait for Hermione to finish her shower.

Half an hour goes by before I hear the bathroom door open and I watch as she walks down the stairs and I cant help but notice that shes looking more pale than usual which causes me to stand up and nearly knock over the table in my hasty process.

"Hermione, are you feeling okay?" She looks up at me and nods but I don't believe her so I gently guide her to sit down on the couch which she thanks me for.

I make my way to the small kitchen area in our dorm to make her a cup of tea and the whole time I can feel her eyes on my back practically burning a hole through my shirt, I turn around and see her jump slightly and then turn around and pretend to busy herself with the notes I had laid out onto the table.

"So, about the decorations?" I gently place her cup of tea in front of her as I take a seat on the arm rest of the sofa. "What about them?" She looks up at me and I cant help but notice that she looks like she hasn't slept in about a week but I sigh and nod towards the cup which she gently yet eagerly picks up and take a sip.

"I was thinking that for the center pieces on the table we could have scattered crystals that build up higher into a pile and then at the top of them right in the center there could be one large crystal that lights up and we could possible charm them to float a little bit above the tables every time a slow dance comes on, how does that sound to you?" I wait to see her reaction, and just as I expected she slowly began to smile and nod her head.

"That is such a great idea Draco! I'm quite surprised I didn't think of something like this myself, its truly brilliant!" I watch her as she sits with her elbow on her knee and her finger tapping her chin as her eyes dart around as if she was reading a book then all of a sudden her eyes widen and she turns to me suddenly.

"And then every time a slow song does play and the crystals light up and float, the rest of the lights dim down and a bunch of tiny crystals can come out of the wall as if they were ghost and softly float all around the room and it would make it cute and romantic!" I can't help but let out a soft laugh at her enthusiasm for the idea and I take a moment to think about it and I can practically picture it in my mind.

"That sounds amazing, Hermione."

 ** _Hermione's POV_**

I close the door to McGonagall's office and slowly make my way up to her desk where she seems to be doing some work. "Please take a seat miss Granger." I take a seat and decide to observe my surroundings of the headmistresses office for what seems like the tenth thousand time since the beginning of first year.

"So, what may I do for you today?" I smile and hand over mine and Draco's notes for the ball and she quickly scans the parchment before placing them down on her desk.

"We've completed the list of decorations, lighting, and seating arrangements for you to look through and accept or deny the following requests." I sit eagerly waiting for the feedback as she looks over the parchments once more except this time in more detail. After a little while she looks at me and claps her hands.

"This is simply wonderful Miss Granger. The seating arrangements were as too be expected and in great positions and the decorations also stay in theme of the ball and the way you want the room to be lit is quite creative." She looks at me with a pleased expression and nods which causes me to smile broadly at her.

"Thank you headmistress, the center pieces of the table and how they become apart of the lighting of the room you can thank Draco for, I was surprised when he expressed the idea to me to be honest, I didn't realize he had a creative side to him like this." I catch her looking at me in a strange manner and for a split moment I had forgotten my manners.

"What?" As soon as the words flew out of my mouth I could feel my eyes widen. "I'm sorry for my bluntness, but may I ask why you're looking at me like that?" She shook her head, stood up and started walking towards her office door so I stand up too and follow her.

"Nothing my dear, you just remind me of my younger self sometimes and it catches me by surprise. Now go continue your day and I'll look forward to our future meetings about the ball." She smiles as I close the door behind myself.

"Hermione." I jump and turn around at the voice coming from not too far behind me and see that the voice belongs to Ron.

"Oh Ron, sorry you gave me a fright then." He laughs and then pulls out some flowers from behind his back. I take a moment to look at them and him and after a few seconds it seems like he generally seems like he was back to his old self.

"You got me flowers?" I smile at him and take them from him gently and admire the beautiful daisies. He nods and looks sheepish.

"I wanted to say sorry to you 'Mione, I've treated you badly since the end of the war and it's not fair on you and if you'll give me the chance then I would like to take every single moment I can to make it up to you, if you will let me." He looks down to the ground and I can't help but feel sorry for him, god knows what he's been through to try and deal with everything that has happened and I close my eyes and take a deep breath and step towards him and wrap my arms around him.

"I forgive you." For some reason though I couldn't quite shake this feeling in my gut that I had but I choose to ignore it, after all we must forgive the people that have done you wrong.


	14. Chapter 14

Hey guys, back again for another chapter! Again I would just like to say sorry for not updating all this year but now that I'm on holidays for almost three months I plan to complete this story and with the way I'm planning for it to end and if you all like it so much then there might be a second story following this one. So please review and let me know how you guys enjoy it!

 _ **Harry's POV**_

I finally make it to the great hall and make my way over to Ginny, Hermione and Ron who are all deep in conversation and I take a seat next to my girlfriend and rest my head on her shoulder and sigh. "Have a rough training today?" I don't bother to look up at Ginny and instead decide to just nod out my answer as she fills my plate up with food.

"Yeah the new team this year is definitely not like what it used to be so I have to practically train them all from scratch, are you sure you don't want to join the team this year and help your boyfriend out?" I tried as hard as I could to give her my puppy dog eyes that I know she just can't resist but then I realize I probably look like the troll back in first year when he had the wand stuck up his nose.

"Harry we've already had this discussion." I look at her once more before she rolls her eyes and sighs but I can see a hint of a smile on her soft lips. "Come on Ginny, I know you said you want to focus on your OWLS but it's your last year, you deserve to finish it with something you love as well." I give her a light shove with my elbow and she lets out a laugh and I hear Hermione join in on our discussion.

"He's right Gin, after everything as well as studying for exams you should have a little bit of fun." She scoffs and takes a bite of her chicken.

"Says you, you're the embodiment of all work and no play." Ron and I sheepishly nod to Ginny's statement and I feel my face scrunch up slightly as Ron starts talking with his mouth full. "She's right 'Mione, all you do is wake up, work, study, eat, patrol, sleep and then you repeat that the next day, even on weekends! You should start taking your own advice." She shakes her head and sighs.

"I know I do but you guys should also know by now that doing all those things is what I enjoy doing so to me it doesn't feel like work." Ron just shakes his head and keeps eating but I sit back and catch the sadness on Hermione's face as she slowly picks at her food.

"Hey Hermione, I have a few questions about my Potions essay that I'd like to ask you about after dinner if that's okay?" She sits up a bit and I notice her little twinkle in her eye is back. "Of course Harry! Is it what the essay is about or do you need help with it?" I shrug and she smiles at me. "I've got to quickly pop by the library after this but I can meet you at the heads portrait and I can help you since I have to work on mine as well if you'd like?" She smiles and for a moment I think about how amazing of a best friend she is, not just because she helps me with school work, but because regardless of everything that has happened over the years she still has somehow managed to stay the same Hermione she always has been.

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

As I finish walking up the last step to my portrait I find myself short of breath and I quickly lean over to support myself on the column next to me and embrace the coolness the stone gives to my flushed skin. I hear footsteps come over to me and I open my eyes to see Harry's worried face examining me.

"Are you okay?" I nod and place the back of my hand against my forehead. "Yeah, I might just be a little dehydrated today and couldn't handle the stairs, I'll be fine, shall we start studying?" I say the password and walk in with Harry following me close behind with his arms opened in case I fall, I turn around to swat him arms away.

"I am thankful for you're concern but I am quite capable of walking a few steps to my desk." He holds his hands up and laughs as we make our way to the study table in the corner of the room. "So, what is it exactly do you need help with?" I put my quill down and fold my hands together on the table in front of me.

"Before we talk about Potions I want to ask how you and Ron are?" He looks and me expectantly and I sigh and look at him. "Look to be honest I'm not one-hundred percent sure, but I have forgiven him." I watch as his eyes go wide and I quickly explain to him why. "Because when he apologized I could tell that he really meant it! I don't forgive his actions because I know that what he did was wrong but I do forgive him. Harry you know that the war has affected us all in different ways and this is most likely how its affected him, he probably has so much build up rage about losing his brother and lavender and our school friends and members of the order and he doesn't know how to deal with all of that and things probably got too much for him and this is his way of releasing it without him realizing his actions."

He looks pissed for a moment but then he looks defeated and lost. "Hermione, I understand where you're coming from, I really do but, you can't let him keep doing this and treating you this way, but if you're right then just be careful, I wouldn't know what to do if I saw your hurt again, just please, for me, Ginny and most importantly your sake just please be guarded and safe." I look into his pleading eyes and for a moment I couldn't feel anything, no emotion, no physical feeling in my body and I felt like I was floating, the next thing I know I'm waking up in the infirmary.

I slowly open my eyes and instantly shut them and bring my hands up to my head from the sudden painful pounding in my skull. "Miss Granger? Here take this it will help with the headache." I don't bother asking questions and take the liquid which gives me a sudden urge to gag and spit it out at the foul taste but I manage to control the urge as I feel it starting to work instantly. "What happened?" I slowly open my eyes and look at Madam Pomfrey and catch her side glance at McGonagall who just smiles down at me. "You fainted again dear, not to worry though nothing some rest wont fix, you may not think or feel it but you've been stressing yourself out physically which is causing you to be weak and having these episodes, we've been in contact with a healer from St. Mungos and they have supplied us with a potion for you to take once a day to help stop these moments from happening."

I nod and try to process the information and decide not to question orders for once as I drift back off into sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Harry's POV**_

I sit patiently waiting for the Headmistress to finish talking to the Healer before I ask any questions. "Tell me Mr Potter, what exactly happened to Miss Granger?" I take a deep breath and tell her exactly what had happened.

 _I'm waiting for Hermione to say something but it's quiet for a moment and when I look up I start to panic, her eyes started to roll into the back of her head and she's violently jerking her head around and she starts to mutter something I can't hear or understand. I stand up and try and snap her out of it. "Hermione! Hermione! Come on, snap out of this please!"_

 _All of a sudden she stops but her eyes are still rolled in the back of her head and she slowly starts to smile and I watch as her grin gets wider and she starts to laugh which send chills down my spine, I've heard all different types of her laugh but this one was different, it wasn't her laugh, the sound coming from her sounded evil and dark and that scared me._

 _I shake her to try and get her to snap out of it but instead blood spurts from her mouth as she starts coughing uncontrollably and I quickly go grab a towel and try to wipe as much of it away from her mouth as I could, after a couple of minutes she stops and sits completely still until she collapses and I manage to catch her and fall over in the process trying to make sure she doesn't hit her head._

"And that's when I called one of the elves to get us over to the infirmary as quickly as possible." I run my hands through my hair barely even acknowledging the dried up blood on them. She hands me a glass of water and I take a big sip to try and calm down. "The healer has given me some potions for me to give to her which I will inform Mr Malfoy to make sure she takes it every day, I'll refrain from telling him the real truth about Miss Granger since I have seen his fondness from her and I must trust that you'll do the same from everyone else, if anyone asks all that happens is she faints from stress and the reason we must stick to this story is for Miss Grangers sake, we want to find any type of solution to this before she knows, otherwise it will weaken her mental health which will effect her physically, so please Mr Potter, keep this between us."

My head starts spinning with this and all I can do is nod. "As you wish Headmistress."

 _ **Draco's POV**_

"Hey, are you okay? I haven't seen you around for a while." I stand up quickly as Hermione enters the dorm and I hide the concern on my face as I see her even more pale and week than she has been lately.

"Yes of course, I'm sorry Draco, can we talk?" I nod and sit back down on the couch and wait for her to take a seat next to me. "I don't want to worry you too much but recently I've been fainting and both Pomfrey and McGonagall have both told me that it's due from stress and the reason why it's affecting me so badly is because of the trauma from the war and they want me to lesson my work load at which I of course protested but they insisted that for my health I need to do that." She takes another deep breath and gains a sad look on her face.

"I honestly hate to ask this but I've been asked to hand over my Patrol duties to you as well as organizing the ball, trust me this is the last thing I want to do but it's what I need." I nod and process this information. "Of course Hermione, the ball is pretty much all set, it's just the fine details that need to be gone over and as for Patrol I can handle it myself or if need be I'll bring some one else on to help out, as long as you're okay?" I reach up and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and she smiles. She tries to stifle a yawn but fails miserably so I stand up and hold my hand out to her which she takes and I lead her back to her room for her to go to bed and rest up some more.

As I shut my bedroom door I notice on my chest of drawers there's a box with a card on top. "Dear Mr Malfoy, as you live with Miss Granger I would like to kindly ask a favour of you. Inside this box contains some potions which I must ask you to give to Miss Granger every morning without fail, this will keep her calm and less stressed to prevent any more episodes happening, if you could do so it would be very much appreciated."

At the bottom of the card it was signed by McGonagall, I place the card back on top of the box and decide to put them in the small kitchen in morning.

 _ **Hermione's POV**_

I wake up in the morning feeling surprisingly refreshed, I sit up and notice a piece of parchment sitting on the end of my bed. curiously I reach over and grab it and notice the familiar messy handwriting on it.

 _"Hermione, Harry told me about what's been happening with you lately and I suggested we try and get you to relax as much as possible, and since it's Saturday I want to take you for a picnic near the lake, meet me at the great hall at 12. Love Ron."_

I smile slightly, this is the Ron that I had feelings for, maybe I really was right about him. I look at the clock and see that its eleven am so I jump out of bed and lay out a nice pair of jeans, a nice grey T-shirt, a dull mustard coloured leather jacket and a pair of slightly heeled pair of boots the same colour as my jacket before heading into the bathroom to have a shower.

Once I've showered, gotten dressed, dried my hair and put the slightest bit of make up on I head to the great hall but just before I reach it I'm pulled into a small alcove by Harry. "Hey what's with the pulling into small spaces? I have to go meet Ron." Harry quickly shushes me and starts whispering.

"Hermione, you have to do as I say." I go to ask him what's wrong but he puts a silencing spell over me so I don't make any noise so I just up and wait for him to speak. "Hermione. You need to be careful of Ron." He quickly pokes his head out to do a quick check before putting another silencing spell up but this time around us.

"I know what this may sound like but you need to do whatever Ron says okay? I can't explain much because he'll be wondering where you are but he made me take an unbreakable vow and I couldn't get out of it. Ron wants you to be his, and more than usual this time. I think he had a psychotic break or something but he is on a mission and he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. As your friend and as someone who wants to see you safe you need to be his, at least until the ball ends."

He takes the charm off of me. "What are you? Mad? I have free will over what I do and who I'll see, I thought he had changed."I look at Harry and I couldn't help the disgust on my face as I looked at him and he looked at me with pleading eyes. "Hermione, trust me this is the last thing I want to do to you but trust me when I say I had no choice with this vow. You need to do this Hermione, and god forbid you or anyone in his way that will try and stop him from getting what he wants." The look in his eyes say everything I need to know which is the words I'm sorry. I wipe away a tear and look at him and nod, Harry slips something into my hand and leaves.

I read the note and what's written on there makes the blood drain from my face. _"He's threatening to get rid of Ginny if I don't help him get you, and if he can't have you then he said he wants to make sure that no one can. Please forgive me Hermione."_

I step out of the alcove and slowly make my way over to Ron and try to smile but it doesn't quite work out the way I'd hope. "Are you okay?" I gather my bearings back and nod. "Yeah sorry, I just had a bit of a rocky sleep that's all, shall we go now?" He smirks and places his hand on my lower back and leads me to the black lake.


End file.
